Boothferry Bridge

Boothferry Bridge is a crossing over the River Ouse, in the East Riding, England, some 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Goole. The bridge was opened in 1929, replacing a ferry crossing immediately west of the bridge's location. The act of Parliament for the building of the bridge, the Boothferry Bridge Act 1925, gave priority to river traffic. This situation still exists, though there have been some attempts to change priorities. On opening, it was the furthest crossing downstream of the river, cutting 25 miles (40 km) off the journey south to London from Kingston upon Hull. The M62 Ouse Bridge opened up to the east of Boothferry Bridge in 1976.

1. History

The bridge at Boothferry was built to replace the ferry which connected the hamlet of Booth with the south side of the Ouse. The ferry was owned by the Bishops of Durham and Ripon, having been in operation since at least 1513, but was leased to several operators before the bridge was built. An act of Parliament, the Boothferry Bridge Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. cxi) was granted providing authority to construct the bridge and giving priority to river traffic. An attempt was made in the 1980s to rescind the priority for river traffic. Construction began in January 1926, with the bridge opening in July 1929, becoming the furthest bridge over the River Ouse. Before that, the furthest bridge downstream on the River Ouse was Selby toll bridge, some 8 miles (13 km) upstream of the Boothferry Bridge. Opening of the bridge eased the pressure on the east-west traffic through the region, notably helping to alleviate some of the traffic across the toll bridge at Selby, and providing a shorter route to and from Hull, being only 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Goole. The journey from Hull to London was shortened by 25 miles (40 km) helping travellers to avoid going over the toll bridge at Selby. This continued until 1976, when the Ouse Bridge of the M62 opened, and then, in 1981, the Humber Bridge was opened. The bridge is a steel girder structure which is 698 feet (213 m) long. The construction was funded by five public bodies, the Ministry of Transport (£56,000), West Riding County Council (£33,600), East Riding County Council (£5,600), Hull City Council (£11,200), and Goole Urban District Council (£5,600), at a total cost of £112,000. However, by the time the bridge opened in July 1929, the bridge had cost £116,467 (equivalent to £8,864,000 in 2023), and the approach roads had cost £72,000. Engineering of the bridge was carried out by Cleveland Bridge, to a design by the firm of Mott, Hay & Anderson. The structure has six sections, with the section closest to the East Yorkshire side of the river (north bank), being able to swing open to give a width clearance of 125 feet (38 m). Barges were able to be towed up river past this point two abreast (lashed together), until they reached Selby. Boothferry Bridge is supported by 12 piers in the water, which are sunk to a depth of 70 feet (21 m) below the water level. The vehicular width of the bridge is 20-foot (6.1 m), with two 6-foot (1.8 m) sections for foot traffic on either side, making a combined width of 32 feet (9.8 m). Almost immediately to the east of Boothferry Bridge is the Ouse Bridge, which was opened in May 1976, and carries the M62 over the River Ouse. In the 1960s, before the M62 bridge was built, consideration was given to re-using an abandoned railway bridge over the River Ouse at Long Drax (from the Hull and Barnsley Railway), in an effort to alleviate the traffic flow over Boothferry Bridge. A major repair of the bridge was undertaken in 1979, when £1 million was spent on renovation works. On days when the bridge was closed completely to vehicular traffic, diversions were in place via the M62 bridge, but those that couldn't use the motorway (such as pedestrians) were taken on buses along the M62. It was renovated and repaired again, in 2021, at a cost of £2.2 million. The bridge is the western limit of the Humber Estuary Special Area of Conservation.

1. Popular culture

In 1972, a folk group, The Lonesome Travellers, recorded a song about the bridge. Also in 1972, singer songwriter, Harvey Andrews, recorded a song about the bridge featuring Rick Wakeman on piano and Ralph McTell on guitar.

1. References


1. External links

Boothferry Bridge on goole.uk.net Images of the Boothferry and Ouse Bridges showing their proximity

Nearby Places View Menu

Boothferry

Boothferry is a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire in England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Ouse where the A614 road crosses the river. It is about 2 miles (3 km) north-west of Goole. Boothferry is split between civil parishes; areas to the west of the B1228 road are in the civil parish of Asselby, and those to the east are in Howden. Boothferry is home to Boothferry Bridge which, built in 1929, was for many years the first physical road crossing of the Ouse (if travelling inland), although a lower rail crossing was built at Goole in 1869. Boothferry Bridge was very heavily used by vehicles travelling between the north and south banks of the Humber before the opening of the M62 motorway in the mid-1970s and the Humber Bridge in 1981. Boothferry Bridge is celebrated in the song "Boothferry Bridge" written by Harvey Andrews and released in 1972 on his album 'Writer of Songs"' and by the musical group "The Lonesome Travellers", which was released in the early 1970s. The M62 now crosses the Ouse on a viaduct approximately one mile downstream (east) of the old bridge. Boothferry gave its name to the Boothferry borough of Humberside from 1974 to 1996, and to the Boothferry parliamentary constituency which, in 1997, was largely amalgamated into the Haltemprice and Howden constituency represented by David Davis MP. Boothferry was also chosen to be the name taken by a local resident when he took the title of lord in 2004. Boothferry has also lent its name to many roads and buildings along with businesses within the borough, although it is now defunct. Hull City Football Club played from 1946 to 2002 at a football stadium named Boothferry Park, which also took its name from a road (the A63 – Boothferry Road) that leads from Hull to the village.

Bridge Music

Booth, East Riding of Yorkshire

Booth is a hamlet near Goole, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Booth is also known as Boothferry or Boothferry Bridge.

Neighbourhood

Ouse Bridge (M62)

The Ouse Bridge is a reinforced concrete plate girder bridge that spans River Ouse between Goole and Howden in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It carries the M62 and is situated between junctions 36 and 37. It was built between 1973 and 1976 by Costain and was designed by Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Partners. The bridge was officially opened to traffic on 24 May 1976 by nine-year-old Martin Brigham.

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River Aire

The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, 92 miles (148 km) in length. Part of the river below Leeds is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation. The Handbook for Leeds and Airedale (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is 58 miles (93 km) direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to 90 miles (140 km). Between Malham Tarn and Airmyn, the river drops 1,300 feet (400 m).

Landmark